Chapter 2

The pizza disappeared slowly at first, but soon their suppressed appetites were awoken and hunger won over sadness. The picnic table they sat at was near a wooded edge of the park, overlooking a small pond that had a curved bridge across the middle. Various people walked across the grass and kids played while their parents sat and visited, and Amy's reporter eyes caught them all. Even when she was relaxing or socializing she was always people-watching. That was something Hannibal had taught her also, to always be vigilant of your surroundings and other people. You never know who's a military plant or someone eyeing your purse. She had looked up to Hannibal for survival when she was on the run with the team, and he always made sure she was safe.

A nudge on her arm jolted her out of the memories, and she turned to see Face eyeing her with amusement.

"What?" She asked.

"I was asking what have you been up to in life? Last we knew you were on foreign assignment in Jakarta, but that was over ten years ago."

"Oh." She crossed her legs to get more comfortable on the bench. "Yes, I was in Jakarta for a few years, and then I returned to Las Angeles. I impressed the Courier so much with my work that I became their top reporter and finally got a private office on the main floor."

"Good for you!" Murdock cheered. "I always knew you had it in you, Amy."

She blushed slightly and avoided his eyes.

"Thanks. It was an incredible opportunity overseas, but I missed all of you terribly."

B.A. leaned forward to speak, gold chains rattling from the motion.

"Why didn't you give us a call when you got back then?"

They all looked at her expectently.

"Well... it's a long story," she began, trying to choose her words carefully. "I guess you could say I couldn't come back to the team. Even though I wanted to."

"That doesn't make any sense," Face frowned. "Did the military get a hold over you somehow? Blackmail you?"

"No, no, not the military."

The guys were confused, especially since it seemed Amy was struggling to figure out how to tell them whatever it was. It was Murdock who spoke up.

"Look darlin', you don't have to tell us if you don't wanna. We're just tickled that you're here now!"

She gave him an appreciative look.

"Thanks, Murdock."

B.A. stood up and stretched his big arms, then checked his wristwatch.

"Well, we better get going. Lot of things still to do."

Face groaned.

"I don't think I can pack one more box..."

"Yeah," Murdock agreed wearily, "maybe we should hit the hay and start again in the morning."

"Sounds good to me," Amy said as she stood up and began walking with them back to their van.

B.A. had kept it in prime condition, so it looked nearly identical to how she remembered it. The only real difference was the interior was now black as well, instead of gray. When she had asked about it, Murdock had looked sheepish and B.A. had growled. Face explained that about five years ago they were fleeing from some bad guys and Murdock was throwing dynamite at their pursuers through the back doors. He was using a handheld flamethrower to light them, and accidentally dropped it when they hit a big bump in the road. It quickly caught the floor rug on fire, which then spread to the seats.

Face had said, "It made so much smoke billow out that we lost the bad guys, but we all got singed and lost the back interior. And I thought we were all going to witness the literal end of our pilot here. B.A. was so furious he actually blacked out, though, before he did any real harm to Murdock." He had winked at the last part, meaning that the sargeant's blackout was actually because Hannibal had hit him really hard, as Amy understood him.

They drove back to outside Hannibal's apartment, and all got out to seperate to their own vehicles when they noticed Amy's vehicle was absent.

"I got a cab here from the airport," she explained to the questions on their faces.

"Well, you could always ride back with me," Face offered with one of his old sly grins. "I've got plenty of space for two in my penthouse suite. Might be real cozy."

Amy laughed at the eyerolls he got from the other two.

"I'm sure your penthouse is plenty big, Face. And I'm positive it didn't cost you a penny!"

"Well, I mean, it did take a lot of work on my part to scam it though. That's as good as spending money!"

She sighed.

"You never stop do you, Face? No thanks, I'll just catch a cab to a hotel. I'm sure someone has a vacancy."

"You could sleep in the van?"

"Thanks, B.A., but I'll stick with a hotel."

"I could take you to a hotel, if you want. I have to drive past them all to get to my place anyways." Murdock offered.

"Sure! Thanks, Murdock."

They all bid each other goodnight and then she followed him to his truck.

She could tell Faceman hadn't changed much, still trying to woo the girls - even herself it seemed! She figured Murdock most likely had a spare bedroom or at least a couch, but he hadn't offered it, probably to avoid tarnishing her reputation by asking her to stay at his place. She was glad to see that part of his character hadn't changed, even though he seemed less than his old comedic self.

"When did you get a truck?" She asked as they drove down the street.

It was a red Mazda pickup, obviously repainted at some point judging by the bumpy strokes and unblended edges. It had choked a bit when he had started it, then lurched into gear and off they had went.

"Well, y'see, Faceman figured out the surefire way to win Wheel of Fortune, and since he would have been recognized on TV as a fugitive, I got to go on and - well, I won this truck!"

"Wow! That's amazing! It must have been while I was in Jakarta, because I always watch that show and I didn't see you. Did you win anything else?"

He shot her a nervous side-eye, making her curiosity peak further.

"Well? What?" She pushed.

"Well, I also won a trip... to Hawaii."

She wasn't surprised, as trips to vacation destinations was common on that show, but his awkwardness about it didn't make sense.

"So... did you go? How was it?"

"Oh, we had a nice time."

A funny feeling prodded in her stomach but she pushed it down.

"Did you take Face?"

"No."

Now she was really curious. She turned on the bench seat to look more fully at him, knowing he could feel her eyes studying him. They were at a red light and he was looking everywhere but at her.

"Murdock, did you take a girlfriend?" The words felt hollow, but she wasn't sure why exactly.

They were never an item so it shouldn't bother her if he took someone on a vacation, but for some reason it still did.

"No!" He answered instantly, then twisted his expression. "Well... I met her after the show. Her name's Jody Joy. She picked me up hitchhiking after I escaped from some goons who were robbing a casino."

He finally glanced her way, seeing her widened eyes at the kidnapped phrase.

"It's a long story," he waved away the memory, "but at the end of it all, I asked her to go with me instead of Face."

Amy fought the twisting in her gut and put on her best neutral tone.

"Wow, that's quite an adventure. So where is Jody Joy now?"

Murdock clicked on his turn signal and turned into the first hotel.

"I don't know. She disappeared halfway through the vacation. Said something about it not being real, and she missed her hometown. Here's the first hotel!"
They struck out for vacancies at the first one, but got lucky at the second. It was all ground level rooms in a row, with outside entries into each. He walked her to the door and scanned their surroundings as she turned the key in the lock. It wasn't a bad part of town, but he didn't like any part of town after dark, especially for a woman alone. She pushed open the door and flicked on the light. It was clean and modest, with a queen-sized bed and a microwave, and abstract art hung on the walls. Murdock moved ahead of her to check the bathroom while she put her suitcase on the bed. He returned and bent to look under the bed, provoking a sigh from her. He looked up at her questioningly.

"I'm sure someone could fit in the six-inch space under the bed," she said sarcastically.

"Amy," he waved a finger at her, "you know we never skimp on security, especially when you're in an unfamiliar place. I'm s'prised you're not checking it yourself."

"I guess I'm just tired, and out of practice." She yawned. "I do appreciate you checking. I'm sorry, Murdock."

"S'alright chica."

He tilted his head and gave her an understanding smile tinged with playfulness, like the old Murdock would. That promted her to ask a new question to him.

"How did you come to live here in Virginia? Did you break out of the V.A. and hiding out from the military police?"

"Nah, they let me out."

He resumed checking the room while he talked, feeling along picture edges and investigating the phone on the nightstand. Amy moved to sit on the bed and watched him.

"I got myself reevaluated, and they declared me fit for society!"

She chuckled as he held up a stray feather from a pillow and blew it straight at her.

"I can't imagine why they did that," she teased him, batting away the feather.

"Hey now, I never said I was actually sane - only on paper!"

"True."

He finished his check of the room and leaned against the headboard with arms crossed. Amy enjoyed seeing him be playful again, even though she knew it wasn't forever. Hannibal's passing would be a deep cut that may never fully heal, and he had always been like a father to Murdock. She realized she had zoned out in thought when she felt a finger lightly touch her shoulder, and looked up to see Murdock had moved closer to her but still standing. They locked eyes and her breath stuck in her throat. He really was as handsome as she remembered him, strong-jawed and tall and kind.

"A lot's changed since you left, eh muchacha?"

"I hope not too much has changed. I've... I've missed my boys..."

Maybe it was from being overtired, or maybe Hannibal's death was finally hitting her, but the tears sprung up and overflowed and she couldn't stop them. Her head dropped into her hands as she finally gave into sobs of grief and confusion. She barely felt the two arms that wrapped around her shoulders and held her, but she leaned into his chest and kept crying.

A dozen thoughts and questions flooded her mind and left it reeling. Why didn't she stay all those years ago? Who would she be if she had stayed? What would the team have been like? Could she had played a part in stopping Hannibal's fatal addiction? And what about Murdock - could there have been something between them?

Finally her crying calmed, and she drew partly away but still allowing him to hold her loosely.

"I'm so sorry, Murdock! I didn't mean to fall apart like that. Oh no, I got your shirt all wet..."

Her head had been against his chest where his leather jacket was unzipped, and the exposed tshirt now had a large dark spot. She snatched a tissue from her pocket and tried to dry it, but he grasped her hands to stop her.
"It's alright, don't worry 'bout it. I needed a shower anyways."

She stared at his shirt, unable to look at his eyes or her hands clasped in his larger ones.

"What does your shirt say?"

He released her hands to pull the jacket open further to show her. It was brown with yellow writing that said, "Smoke bacon, not leaves" and had a drawing of a bacon strips near the word 'meat' and tobacco leaves under the word 'leaves'.

Puzzled, she frowned at him.

"I couldn't have known about Hannibal when I got this shirt made. I had thought he'd get a kick out of it. Guess I'll never know now."

"It's still a good shirt," she sniffled and dried her face with the tissue. "Besides, he would have just nodded his approval while still smoking a new cigar anyways."

They looked at each other and suddenly Amy found the idea of Hannibal intentionally smoking while Murdock showed him the shirt kind of funny. A giggle escaped her lips before she could stop it, which prompted a suppressed smile from Murdock that quickly turned to his own snickering when she laughed at his failed attempt to stay serious.

The tension of the day melted away some in the laughter shared between them, but all too soon Murdock ended it by standing up and checking his watch.

"It's getting late, I should prob'ly get back to my own bachelor pad."

Amy sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you should."

He straightened the navy blue cap on his head before heading for the door. His hand grasped the knob.

"Murdock?"

"Yeah?" came the instant reply as he turned to look at her.

"Thank you for being here for me. I flew across the country to be support for you guys, and yet you were the one who comforted me."

His mouth curved up in a thoughtful smile at her.

"Nah, muchacha, that was nothin'. You've been a comfort to us from the minute you walked back into our lives."

It seemed his mouth opened to say more but then he shut it, bid her goodnight and slipped out the door into the evening. She walked over the locked it, then peeked though the blind to watch his old truck pull out and disappear down the street.